EDMONTON - An Alberta Tory leadership candidate says Alison Redford needs to consider whether she's fit to serve as a member of the legislature given revelations the former premier had a travelling trip planner that billed $330,000 in expenses.

"I'm at a point right now where I think I'm tired of talking about the member for Calgary-Elbow," Thomas Lukaszuk said in an interview Thursday referring to Redford's seat.

"I think it's evident to all of us now that her conduct is not reflective of the values of any of the political parties at the Alberta legislature.

"She has to make some decisions, or some decisions have to be made for her."

Redford, who quit as premier in March, could not be reached for comment. She has declined in the past to comment on her spending as premier, saying it's in the past and she's moving forward as the backbencher for her riding.

Lukaszuk was responding to new documents released by the Alberta government that reveal the expenses of a International and Intergovernmental Relations staffer directed by Redford's office to work as an advance liaison on Redford's trips.

For 20 months starting in the spring of 2012, staffer Michelle Tetreault travelled around the world — to China, India, Washington and Zurich — setting up meetings at a cost of almost $330,000.

International Relations Minister Cal Dallas said that in the past, trip planning was done at home or with the help of officials who worked abroad or happened to be travelling where the premier would visit.

That changed with Redford, he said.

"The former premier requested the creation of a position that met her specific needs that related to advance planning for international travel and missions," said Dallas.

Lukaszuk, who served as Redford's deputy premier for some of the period in question, said he was not aware of the travelling trip planner.

Documents show Tetreault began her work shortly after Redford and the Tories won the 2012 election.

Dallas said the position was cancelled and Tetreault was reassigned within the department shortly after Redford resigned as premier in March.

Redford quit ahead of a growing caucus and party revolt over lavish spending on herself and her inner circle.

The bill included large six-figure incomes and severance payouts for her staff. There were personal flights on government planes and trips for Redford's daughter and her daughter's friends.

After she left, it was revealed that in January, then Infrastructure Minister Ric McIver cancelled Redford's plan to build a luxury suite on top of the government's Federal Building, which is currently being renovated.

The suite was to be modelled on the plush Hay Adams Hotel in Washington. About $173,000 had already been spent on design and engineering concepts when McIver cancelled it because he considered the suite a poor use of government funds.

The receipts also revealed that up until this past spring, Redford's former executive assistant, Ryan Barberio, racked up more than $25,000 in hotel bills alone over an eight-month period in Denver while working for the province.

McIver, who is also now running in leadership race, said if he gets the top job, he will tolerate no surprises in government travel receipts.

"It’s essential that we as government respect the taxpayer dollar," said McIver in a written statement.

"As leader and premier, I will have that expectation of every member of government, but especially of my own staff.”

Tory leadership candidate Jim Prentice has promised to put strict rules in place to prevent indulgent and wasteful spending by members of the legislature.

Wildrose finance critic Rob Anderson said profligate spending is embedded in the Tory culture, and that while Redford is blameworthy, she has become a party scapegoat.

"It's pretty disingenuous for them to dump it all at Redford's feet," said Anderson.

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The Penthouse Suite Redford Ordered

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Media tours the premier's penthouse apartment that Alison Redford had ordered be built near the legislature for her and her daughter, complete with a big area for dinners and butler's pantry, at the Federal Building in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday March 28, 2014. Construction was ordered halted on the project and this was apparently a big factor in her decision to resign.

Media tours the premier's penthouse apartment that Alison Redford had ordered be built near the legislature for her and her daughter, complete with a big area for dinners and butler's pantry, at the Federal Building in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday March 28, 2014. Construction was ordered halted on the project and this was apparently a big factor in her decision to resign.

Media tours the premier's penthouse apartment that Alison Redford had ordered be built near the legislature for her and her daughter, complete with a big area for dinners and butler's pantry, at the Federal Building in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday March 28, 2014. Construction was ordered halted on the project and this was apparently a big factor in her decision to resign.

Media tours the premier's penthouse apartment that Alison Redford had ordered be built near the legislature for her and her daughter, complete with a big area for dinners and butler's pantry, at the Federal Building in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday March 28, 2014. Construction was ordered halted on the project and this was apparently a big factor in her decision to resign.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Media tours the premier's penthouse apartment that Alison Redford had ordered be built near the legislature for her and her daughter, complete with a big area for dinners and butler's pantry, at the Federal Building in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday March 28, 2014. Construction was ordered halted on the project and this was apparently a big factor in her decision to resign.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Media tours the premier's penthouse apartment that Alison Redford had ordered be built near the legislature for her and her daughter, complete with a big area for dinners and butler's pantry, at the Federal Building in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday March 28, 2014. Construction was ordered halted on the project and this was apparently a big factor in her decision to resign.

Media tours the premier's penthouse apartment that Alison Redford had ordered be built near the legislature for her and her daughter, complete with a big area for dinners and butler's pantry, at the Federal Building in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday March 28, 2014. Construction was ordered halted on the project and this was apparently a big factor in her decision to resign.

Media tours the premier's penthouse apartment that Alison Redford had ordered be built near the legislature for her and her daughter, complete with a big area for dinners and butler's pantry, at the Federal Building in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday March 28, 2014. Construction was ordered halted on the project and this was apparently a big factor in her decision to resign.

"The steady trickle of scandal and waste coming from the premier's office through freedom-of-information requests, leaks and (auditor general) reports has made clear that there's more to this story. Albertans deserve to know just how deep this story goes and the only way to do that is for Premier (Dave) Hancock to call a full, judicial inquiry."

"The actions of our former leader have let down all these members who volunteer their own time and money to make this province a better place. This cannot, and will not, happen again."

"This is typical Tory behaviour and it's time it ended. The PCs have become so comfortable spending public dollars on themselves that they're not even covering their tracks anymore."

"No government official, nor the premier, is above the law. In the event that there is evidence of criminal wrongdoing, I would expect those actions be met with the full force and weight of the law."

"We cannot allow a blurred line between government and party business. Albertans must be confident their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent only on government business."

"It is very highly unlikely that we will ever have another premier who will take such liberties with public resources, but unfortunately we will now have to put protocols into place to assure Albertans that it could never happen. It is very sad."

"There was no formal oversight structure to monitor the office's travel expenses and the use of government aircraft. If Mr. Horner was not protecting taxpayers, who was? Clearly no one."

"Bad." -- when asked by a reporter how he felt knowing government aircraft were being abused without him knowing.

"There are no parameters. It is wide open and fully independent." — on the RCMP review the government has requested.

"In hindsight, there were many things I would have done differently. That said, I accept responsibility for all the decisions I have made." — in a letter released Wednesday resigning her seat . She declined further comment.

"That is something that requires a full public inquiry into all of the matters that the auditor general looked at for the premier's office — the misuse of government airplanes, whether or not expense accounts are being abused and, of course, the hidden travel expenses. If we are going to get to the bottom of how this aura of power emanating from the premier's office causes multiple staff members in multiple different department to ignore the rules, to find work-arounds and to be terrified of standing up when they see wrongdoing, we need to know how many departments this is implicating."

"She put all this upon herself so there isn't a lot of sympathy on my part. She dug her own grave and I'm just glad she's no longer in."
Webber quit the Alberta PC caucus last spring just prior to Redford resigning as premier. At the time, he called her a "bully" and "not a nice lady."